During the
civil unrest
Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, or social unrest is a situation arising from a mass act of civil disobedience (such as a demonstration, riot, strike, or unlawful assembly) in which law enforcement has difficulty m ...
that followed the
murder of George Floyd
On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...
in May 2020, a number of monuments and memorials associated with racial injustice were vandalized, destroyed or removed, or commitments to remove them were announced. This occurred mainly in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, but also in several other countries. Some of the monuments in question had been the subject of lengthy,
years-long efforts to remove them, sometimes involving legislation and/or court proceedings. In some cases the removal was legal and official; in others, most notably in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
and
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, laws prohibiting the removal of monuments were deliberately broken.
Initially, protesters targeted monuments related to the
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
, its leaders and its military. As the scope of the protests broadened to include other forms of
systemic racism
Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of racism that is embedded in the laws and regulations of a society or an organization. It manifests as discrimination in areas such as criminal justice, employment, housing, healt ...
, many statues of
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
in the United States were removed, as he participated in abuses against Native Americans and his arrival in the Americas was the beginning of the
genocide of Native American people. Statues of
Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra y Ferrer (; ; ca, Juníper Serra i Ferrer; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size ...
,
Juan de Oñate
Juan de Oñate y Salazar (; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador from New Spain, explorer, and colonial governor of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain. He led early Spanish expeditions to the Great Pla ...
and
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...
, also involved in mistreatment of Native Americans, were also torn down or removed. Monuments to many other local figures connected with racism were also removed. Several statues of American slave owners were also vandalized or removed, including
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
,
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
,
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
, and
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...
. By October 2020, over a hundred Confederate symbols had been "removed, relocated or renamed", as the ''Huffington Post'' put it, based on data from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Some monuments that are not associated with the Confederacy, slavery, or racism were also targeted. In Madison, Wisconsin, the
statue of abolitionist Hans Christian Heg, was torn down and thrown into a lake. Heg had owned and published a newspaper that was anti-slavery. He had been "a leader of Wisconsin's Wide Awakes, an anti-slave catcher militia". In addition, the same mob also tore down a statue of a woman, titled ''
Forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
'', by sculptor
Jean Pond Miner
Jean Pond Miner Coburn (1866–1967) was born in Menasha, Wisconsin. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, and is most notable for her work ''Forward''.
Early life
Jean Pond Miner was born in Menasha, Wisconsin on the 8th July 1866. He ...
. In Portland, a
statue of an elk was burned, originally created to commemorate the many elk that used to lie in the area. The statue of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, a Black slave with the
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...
, the first Black person to travel across the continent, was removed by the
University of Portland
, mottoeng = The truth will set you free
, established = 1901
, type = Private university
, religious_affiliation = Catholic (Congregation of Holy Cross)
, endowment = $218 million
, president = Robert D. Kelly
, students = 3,731 (fall 20 ...
.
In the United Kingdom, removal efforts and vandalism focused on memorials to figures involved in the
transatlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
,
British colonialism
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. I ...
, and
eugenics
Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...
. In Belgium, sculptures of King
Leopold II were targeted due to his rule during the
atrocities in the
Congo Free State
''(Work and Progress)
, national_anthem = Vers l'avenir
, capital = Vivi Boma
, currency = Congo Free State franc
, religion = Catholicism (''de facto'')
, leader1 = Leopo ...
. In New Zealand, a statue of a British military officer
John Hamilton was removed, and in India another colonial-era statue was relocated. In South Africa, a bust of
Cecil Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896.
An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Br ...
was decapitated, and a statue of the last president of the
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...
was taken down.
This list is limited to successful removals, and instances in which a person or body with authority has committed itself to removal. It does not include the many works that have been the subject of petitions, protests, defacement, or attempted removals, such as the
Emancipation Memorial
The Emancipation Memorial, also known as the Freedman's Memorial or the Emancipation Group is a monument in Lincoln Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was sometimes referred to as the "Lincoln Memorial" before the more ...
in Washington, D.C. and many statues of Leopold II in Belgium. It also does not include statues that fell or subject to attempted removals as a result of the
Rhodes Must Fall
Rhodes Must Fall was a protest movement that began on 9 March 2015, originally directed against a statue at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that commemorates Cecil Rhodes. The campaign for the statue's removal received global attention and ...
movement that predates Floyd's murder by five years such as the statue of
Cecil Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896.
An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Br ...
at
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
, England.
Sculptures and other monuments
The following monuments and memorials were removed during the George Floyd protests, mainly due to their connections to
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
. The majority are in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and mostly commemorate the
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
(CSA), but some monuments were also
removed in other countries, for example the statues of
slave trade
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
rs in the United Kingdom.
Notes:
*
*
* Dates are in 2020 unless otherwise specified.
United States
The following monuments and memorials were removed during the George Floyd protests due to their association with
racism in the United States
Racism in the United States comprises negative attitudes and views on race or ethnicity which are related to each other, are held by various people and groups in the United States, and have been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices and ...
. Most commemorated people involved in the
Lost Cause of the Confederacy
The Lost Cause of the Confederacy (or simply Lost Cause) is an History of the United States, American pseudohistorical historical negationist, negationist mythology that claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil Wa ...
, with others linked to the
genocide of Native Americans
The genocide of indigenous peoples, colonial genocide, or settler genocide is elimination of entire communities of indigenous peoples as part of colonialism. Genocide of the native population is especially likely in cases of settler colonialis ...
,
segregation in the United States
In the United States, racial segregation is the systematic separation of facilities and services such as housing, healthcare, education, employment, and transportation on racial grounds. The term is mainly used in reference to the legally or so ...
, and related issues. In a few instances, like the Montgomery County Confederate Soldiers Monument and the
statue of John Mason
A statue of John Mason is installed in Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartfor ...
, the monuments had already been moved from their original location, sometimes more than once, as different venues objected.
Confederate monuments
The
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
fought a four-year war (the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
) to preserve the institution of slavery. After its defeat, all enslaved
African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
were freed and became citizens with the right to vote and hold office. Confederate monuments commemorate politicians,
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
officers, and soldiers of the Confederacy. Most are in the former CSA states.
This table does not include Virginia, which is in a second table that follows.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! City
! State, etc.
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
=Virginia
=
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, where the CSA had its capital in
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
, has the most Confederate monuments of any U.S. state. A March 2020 change in the
law of Virginia
The law of Virginia consists of several levels of legal rules, including constitutional, statutory, regulatory, case law, and local laws. The ''Code of Virginia'' contains the codified legislation that define the general statutory laws for the Comm ...
had already essentially repealed the statute preventing removal of historical monuments, effective from July 1, 2020. This change became possible when voters, after electing the Democrat
Ralph Northam
Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf").
The most common forms ...
as Governor in 2017, gave the
Democrats control of both houses of the
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...
from January 2020, for the first time in a generation.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! City
! State
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
Genocide of indigenous peoples
Monuments dedicated to individuals accused of involvement in the
genocide of indigenous peoples
The genocide of indigenous peoples, colonial genocide, or settler genocide is elimination of entire communities of indigenous peoples as part of colonialism. Genocide of the native population is especially likely in cases of settler colonialis ...
in the Americas have been removed.
Juan de Oñate
Juan de Oñate y Salazar (; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador from New Spain, explorer, and colonial governor of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain. He led early Spanish expeditions to the Great Pla ...
, when
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Santa Fe de Nuevo México
Santa Fe de Nuevo México ( en, Holy Faith of New Mexico; shortened as Nuevo México or Nuevo Méjico, and translated as New Mexico in English) was a Kingdom of the Spanish Empire and New Spain, and later a territory of independent Mexico. The ...
, was responsible for the 1599
Acoma Massacre
The Acoma Massacre refers to the punitive expedition by Spanish conquistadors at Acoma Pueblo in January 1599 that resulted in the deaths of around 500 Acoma men killed in a three-day battle, along with 300 women and children. Of the remaining Aco ...
.
Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra y Ferrer (; ; ca, Juníper Serra i Ferrer; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size ...
, a
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...
, was involved in enslaving
Chumash people
The Chumash are a Native American people of the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what is now San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, extending from Morro Bay in the north to Malibu ...
in the 18th century for the building and supplying of the
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a
series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests o ...
.
Diego de Vargas
Diego de Vargas Zapata y Luján Ponce de León y Contreras (1643–1704), commonly known as Don Diego de Vargas, was a Spanish Governor of the New Spain territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, to the US states of New Mexico and Arizona, titular ...
, also governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, led the reconquest of the territory in 1692, after the
Pueblo Revolt
The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, also known as Popé's Rebellion or Popay's Rebellion, was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish empire, Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, larger than prese ...
of 1680.
A handful of towns in Spain have offered to receive statues of Spaniards unwanted in the U.S.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! City
! State
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
=Christopher Columbus
=
Several statues of
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
, the initiator of the
European colonization of the Americas
During the Age of Discovery, a large scale European colonization of the Americas took place between about 1492 and 1800. Although the Norse had explored and colonized areas of the North Atlantic, colonizing Greenland and creating a short ter ...
, have been removed because of his alleged enslavement of and systemic violence against the
indigenous peoples of the Caribbean
At the time of first contact between Europe and the Americas, the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean included the Taíno of the northern Lesser Antilles, most of the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas, the Kalinago of the Lesser Antilles, the Ciguay ...
, including the genocide of the
Taíno
The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...
people.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! City
! State
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
Others
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! City
! State
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
* Nazi POW Gravestones.
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, Texas. Announced June 1. Removed December 23. Removed by
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of 2014, had over 144,000 interme ...
employees. Source.
United Kingdom
Atlantic slave trade
The
Royal African Company
The Royal African Company (RAC) was an English mercantile (trade, trading) company set up in 1660 by the royal House of Stuart, Stuart family and City of London merchants to trade along the West Africa, west coast of Africa. It was led by the J ...
, which engaged in
African slave trading between 1662 and 1731, enslaved and shipped more Africans to the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
than any other institution in the history of the Atlantic slave trade.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
Others
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
Belgium
King
Leopold II of Belgium
* german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor
, house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
, father = Leopold I of Belgium
, mother = Louise of Orléans
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Brussels, Belgium
, death_date = ...
personally ruled the
Congo Free State
''(Work and Progress)
, national_anthem = Vers l'avenir
, capital = Vivi Boma
, currency = Congo Free State franc
, religion = Catholicism (''de facto'')
, leader1 = Leopo ...
from 1885 to 1908, treating it as his personal property. During this period,
many well-documented atrocities were perpetrated against the population, including the severing of hands of workers unable to meet a production quota for rubber, and the destruction of entire villages that were unwilling to participate in the forced labour regime. These acts contributed to a genocide during this period,
often estimated at between five million and ten million.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
New Zealand
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
officer
John Fane Charles Hamilton
John Fane Charles Hamilton (28 September 1820 – 29 April 1864) was a British naval officer, after whom the city of Hamilton, New Zealand, is named. A statue of him stood in the centre of Hamilton from 2013 to 2020.
Biography
Early life
...
, after whom the city of
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
is named, played a prominent part in the
Tauranga campaign
The Tauranga campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty in early 1864, and part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. The campaign was a sequel to the invasion of ...
of the
New Zealand Wars
The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...
.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
South Africa
Statues that come down in South Africa were preceded by and done in the context of the Rhodes Must Fall movement that resulted in the removal of a statue of Cecil Rhodes at the
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
India
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
France
On May 22, 2020, before the murder of George Floyd, two statues of
Victor Schœlcher
Victor Schœlcher (; 22 July 1804 – 25 December 1893) was a French abolitionist, writer, politician and journalist, best known for his leading role in the abolition of slavery in France in 1848, during the Second Republic.
Early life
Schœlche ...
were torn down in
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
, an
overseas department of France
The overseas departments and regions of France (french: départements et régions d'outre-mer, ; ''DROM'') are departments of France that are outside metropolitan France, the European part of France. They have exactly the same status as mainlan ...
.
Further colonial monuments in the overseas departments were targeted later in the year and in 2021; those which were mutilated in the period after May 25, 2020, are listed here.
The French president
Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...
declared his opposition to removing statues relating to France's colonial history on June 14, 2020.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Region
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
Barbados
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
, -
Cambodia
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
, -
Canada
In Canada, removed statues were attacked in a general anticolonialism context rather than being directly linked to the typical BLM targets in Britain or the United States.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Province
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
, -
Ireland
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
Colombia
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Monument/memorial
! Location
! Department
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
, -
Removals under consideration
Some officials have announced their decisions to remove monuments under their jurisdiction, and are currently working to push through whatever legislative or permission barriers they need to accomplish their goals.
* Alaska:
Anchorage
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...
Mayor
Ethan Berkowitz
Ethan Avram Berkowitz (born February 4, 1962) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Alaska. From 1997 to 2007 he was the Alaska State Representative for District 26, serving as the Democratic Party Minority Leader from 1999 t ...
announced on June 24, 2020, that he will leave the decision about removal of the
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
of
James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
in downtown Anchorage up to the
Native Village of Eklutna and other area
Denaʼina
The Denaʼina ( ; own name: in the Inland dialect ənʌʔɪnʌ in the Upper Inlet dialect ənʌ͡ɪnʌ russian: денаʼина), or formerly Tanaina (russian: Танаина; кенайтце), are an Alaska Native Athabaskan people of the ...
tribes.
* Florida: Protesters at
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
,
Tallahassee
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...
, call for removal of the
Eppes Statue, at the original entrance to the campus; he was a slaveowner who was influential in the founding of Florida State. The building of the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice is also named for him. Protesters are also calling for renaming of
Doak Campbell Stadium
Doak S. Campbell Stadium (in full Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium), popularly known as "Doak", is a football stadium on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. It is the home field of the Florida State Semin ...
(see under
List of name changes due to the George Floyd protests#United States).
* Louisiana:
East Feliciana Parish
East Feliciana Parish (french: Paroisse de Feliciana Est, es, Parroquia de East Feliciana) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 census, the population was 20,267, and 19,531 in 2020. The parish seat is Clinton.
Est ...
Police Jury
In the U.S. state of Louisiana, the typical governing body of the parish is called the Police Jury ( French: ''le Jury de Police''). Not every parish is governed by a Police Jury, but 38 of the 64 parishes use this system.
The Police Jury is the ...
announced June 15, 2020, that they will revisit in two weeks the issue of a possible removal of a Confederate statue that sits outside their courthouse.
* Louisiana: City of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
voted to have Confederate Monument in front of
Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish () (french: Paroisse des Rapides) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,613. The parish seat is Alexandria, which developed along the Red River of the South. ''Rapides' ...
Courthouse. However, there is an ongoing court case to determine who owns the statue: the City of Alexandria, Rapides Parish, or the UDC.
* Kentucky:
Murray
Murray may refer to:
Businesses
* Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles
* Murrays, an Australian bus company
* Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust
* D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...
City Council passed a unanimous vote to remove the
Confederate Monument of Robert E. Lee from in front of their courthouse. The County Attorney isn't sure if the county has authority to move the statue, which is on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
, and so is conducting further research. Public feedback is expected.
* Mississippi:
Forrest County
Forrest County is located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,934. Its county seat and largest city is Hattiesburg. The county was created from Perry County in 1908 and named in honor of Nathan Bedfor ...
Supervisors passed a measure on June 15, 2020. In November, voters will decide about the removal of a Confederate monument in front of their courthouse.
* Ohio:
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
city council member is making a motion to remove an
equestrian statue
An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...
of President
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
from
Piatt Park
Piatt Park (est. 1817), is the oldest park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The urban park stretches two blocks between Elm Street and Vine Street on Garfield Place/8th Street. The park is owned and maintained by the Cincinnati Park Board.
History
In 1817 ...
. June 14, 2020
* Texas:
Weatherford: The United Daughters of the Confederacy asked for the removal of the United Confederate Veterans of Parker County monument in front of the Parker County Courthouse.
* Virginia:
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
City Council announced on June 12, 2020, that they covered and fenced the Confederate monument sitting at the Old
Princess Anne County
County of Princess Anne is a former county in the British Colony of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, first incorporated in 1691. The county was merged into the city of Virginia Beach
on January 1, 1963, ceasing t ...
Courthouse until after July 1, 2020, when the city will have the authority to make decisions about the monument. A public hearing will be scheduled in July 2020.
* Washington, D.C.: In July the House voted to remove 11 Confederate statues and statues of three others – Charles Aycock, John C. Calhoun, and James Paul Clarke – from the
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...
.
The statues are part of the
National Statuary Hall Collection
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...
, a set of 100, with two supplied by each state. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said replacement decisions should be up to the individual states and the bill would need to pass the GOP-controlled Senate.
Other artworks
United States
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Artwork
! City
! State
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
United Kingdom
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Artwork
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
France
In
metropolitan France
Metropolitan France (french: France métropolitaine or ''la Métropole''), also known as European France (french: Territoire européen de la France) is the area of France which is geographically in Europe. This collective name for the European ...
, one of the few artworks connected to racism removed in this period is a mural paying tribute to George Floyd and Adama Traoré. The
death of Adama Traoré
Adama Traoré (; 19 July 1992 – 19 July 2016) was a black French man who died in custody after being restrained and apprehended by police. His death triggered riots and protests against police brutality in France, with new resurgence and re ...
in 2016 caused the ''Justice pour Adama'' movement against racism and police violence, which was reactivated in 2020, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! , Artwork
! City
! Département
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
Plaques and signs
United States
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! Plaque
! City
! State
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
United Kingdom
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Plaque
! Location
! Removal announced
! Removed
! Means of removal
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
Buildings
The following buildings were destroyed, torn down, or heavily damaged during the George Floyd protests due to their perceived racist heritage:
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
! colspan="2" , Building
! City
! State
! Date of incident
! class="unsortable" , Notes
! class="unsortable" ,
See also
*
*
Canadian Indian residential school gravesites § Reactions
*
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
, removal of capitalist and traditional Chinese symbolism following the
Chinese Communist Revolution
The Chinese Communist Revolution, officially known as the Chinese People's War of Liberation in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and also known as the National Protection War against the Communist Rebellion in the Republic of China (ROC ...
*
Decommunization in Ukraine
Decommunization in Ukraine started during and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. With the success of the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, the Ukrainian government approved Ukrainian decommunization laws, laws that outlawed commun ...
, a similar campaign of monument and memorial removals in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
since 2014
*
Denazification
Denazification (german: link=yes, Entnazifizierung) was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by remov ...
, removal of Nazi symbols in Germany after World War II
*
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, wikt:κλάω, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών + wi ...
, the social belief in the importance of the destruction of icons and other images or monuments
*
*
*
Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials
More than 100 monuments and memorials to the Confederate States of America (CSA; the Confederacy) and associated figures have been removed, all but five since 2015. Some have been removed by state and local governments; others have been torn do ...
*
Rhodes Must Fall
Rhodes Must Fall was a protest movement that began on 9 March 2015, originally directed against a statue at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that commemorates Cecil Rhodes. The campaign for the statue's removal received global attention and ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
* Greenfield, Nathan M. (July 14, 2020)
"Western Culture Has a Hallowed Tradition of Felling Offensive Statues" ''
Times of San Diego
San Diego is one of the major cities in California. The following is a list of media outlets based in the city of San Diego. People in San Diego are also able to receive media from Tijuana, Mexico.
Print Newspapers
* ''The San Diego Union-Tribu ...
.''
*
* Stour, James (June 15, 2020)
"How to Topple a Statue Using Science" ''
Popular Mechanics
''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...
.''
*
*
*
* Morris, Phillip. (June 29, 2020)
"As monuments fall, how does the world reckon with a racist past?" ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
.''
*Kalen Goodluck''.'' (January 6, 2021)
Indigenous symbols rise as colonial monuments fall in New Mexico ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
.''
External links
*
Confederate monuments coming down amid protests''When they came down'' (photograph collection)Objection to the misrepresentation of Junípero Serra, who advocated for indigenous people
{{Black Lives Matter
Aftermath of the George Floyd protests
*
May 2020 events in the United States
June 2020 events in the United States
Iconoclasm
Floyd
removed monuments and memorials
Removed Confederate States of America monuments and memorials